David Malouf

David Malouf was born in Brisbane in 1934. He was educated at Brisbane Grammar School and in 1955 graduated from the University of Queensland, where he then taught for two years. After a short time he moved to London to teach, before moving to Sydney. Malouf's first published book was a collection of poetry titled “Bicycle and other poems.” He became a full-time writer in 1978, publishing several novels and poem collections. He has won numerous prizes including the NSW Premier's Literary Award for An Imaginary Life in 1979, The Age Book of the Year Award in 1982 for Fly Away Peter, the Miles Franklin Award in 1991 and the 1991 Commonwealth Prize for fiction for The Great World. It is visible in his poems that he is deeply influenced by the physical environment.

Bicycle
for Derek Peat


Since Thursday last the base living-room
of my flat’s been occupied
by a stranger from the streets, a light- limbed traveller.


Pine-needle spokes, bright vins, the savage downward
curve like polished horns
of its handlebars denote


Some forest deity, or deity of highway
and sky has incognito set up residence, the godhead
invoked in a machine.


to the other inmates of the room, a bookcase,
two chairs, its horizontals speak
of distance, travelling light. Only the mirror


remains unruffled, holding
its stolen of light unbroken, calmly accepting.
all traffic through its gaze. Appease! Appease! Even


This tall metallic insect,
This angel of two geometries
and speed. So much for mirrors. As for myself


I hardly dare look in. What should I offer
a bicycle? Absurd
to lay before its savage iridescence


grease drops’ miraculous resin
the misty Plaides -
my sailor of sweat.


Now time yawns and its messengers appear
Like huge stick-insects, wingless, spoked with stars,
they wheel through the dusk towards us,


the shock-wave of collision still lifting
the locks, who bear our future
sealed at new lips like urgent telegrams